MACRA Ready was developed by the AAFP as a support center to assist family physicians with all elements of MACRA implementation. The site includes a wide array of materials and activities for you and your practice.

On October 14, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a final rule implementing the Quality Payment Program. CMS also launched a Quality Payment Program website designed to help providers understand the Program and a Quality Payment Program Overview Fact Sheet, which is a terrific starting point for physicians interested in learning more. CAFP urges California family physicians to explore the website.

ABFM Prime Registry

The American Board of Family Medicine (ABFM) is offering the PRIME Registry FREE to the first 2,000 board-certified family physicians who sign up. The PRIME Registry will help identify gaps in care and help family physicians report data into the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS). The PRIME Registry is currently helping about 3,000 primary care clinicians who get data from their Electronic Health Records to assess their care quality performance and reduce their reporting burden. Get more information about PRIME from the ABFM website.

AMA Podcast: MACRA Issues for Physicians in Small Practices

Sandy Marks, Assistant Director of Federal Affairs at the American Medical Association, will walk physicians through the basics of the Quality Payment Program and will discuss what policies could help solo, small or rural practices succeed in the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act. This short, ten minute podcast is part of their larger MACRA series to help all physicians participate in the Quality Payment Program.

CAFP Hosts a Tour of the QPP Website

CAFP hosted a webinar with Ashby Wolfe, MD, MPP, CMS Medical Director for District IX and Leah Newkirk, LSN Health Strategies, on MACRA, the new Quality Payment Program website and CAFP's work to help members prepare. We want ALL California family physicians submitting data in 2017 and avoiding a payment penalty. Learn about the Quality Payment Program and its two tracks for physicians -- the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) and the Advanced Alternative Payment Models (APMs).

CMS Fact Sheet for Small Practices

Small and rural practices face unique challenges when satisfying the requirements of the Quality Payment Program. With the release of the proposed rule for 2017 and accompanying regulatory impact analysis, CMS produced a comprehensive fact sheet to express their commitment to reduced barriers and to detail the extra flexibility and support available to small practices and practices in rural or health professional shortage areas.

CMS FAQ on Technical Assistance for Small and Rural Practices

Small practices and practices in rural or health professional shortage areas can receive direct technical assistance from local, experienced organizations to appropriately participate in the Quality Payment Program under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization (MACRA). For a general list and map of participating organizations, CAFP encourages family physicians to visit the CMS FAQ.

Government Accountability Office Report on Challenges for Small and Rural Practices

One provision of the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 requires the Government Accountability Office to examine challenges unique to small and rural and to describe the types of organizations that can assist such practices participate. Through a series of stakeholder interviews, a literature review and a review of CMS documents on value-based payment models, the Government Accountability Office developed a comprehensive report connecting helpful organizations to challenges specifically identified in their research.

The Health Services Advisory Group (HSAG) is the Medicare Quality Innovation Network-Quality
Improvement Organization (QIN-QIO) for Arizona, California, Florida, Ohio and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
HSAG is committed to improving healthcare quality and offering direct technical assistance at no cost for Merit-based Incentive Payment System eligible clinicians through education.

MACRA implementation has been a major priority for CMS in the past year, but the Department of Health and Human Service’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) recently found several challenges that could impede Quality Payment Program success. As always, CAFP encourages family physicians to examine these challenges to be able to identify them in your own practice.

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The California Academy of Family Physicians is the only organization solely dedicated to advancing the specialty of family medicine in the state. Since 1948, CAFP has championed the cause of family physicians and their patients.

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Note:The California Academy of Family Physicians cannot answer medical questions, give referrals to specific family physicians or endorse products. Visit the American Board of Family Medicine website to find a board-certified family physician in your area.